geography exam 3

evaporation

process of liquid transforming into a gas. accounts for movement of water to the air

sublimation

process of a solid transforming into a gas

when a liquid is transformed into a solid…

energy is released from the liquid

average dry adiabatic lapse rate

10C/1000m

dry adiabatic lapse rate definition

the rate at which the temperature of a parcel of dry air decreases as the parcel is lifted into the atmosphere.

moist adiabatic lapse rate definition

the rate at which a saturated parcel of air warms or cools when it moves vertically

wet adiabatic lapse rate is ___ than dry adiabatic lapse rate, because ___

less, condensation heats the air

water penetrates soil by

infiltration

the amount of water that would evaporate and transpire under optimum moisture conditions

potential evapotranspiration

__ would decrease the rate at which evapotranspiration occurs

humidity

if precipitation and soil moisture are inadequate to meet potential evapotranspiration demands, the moisture condition is described as

deficit

an increase in temperature leads to decrease in

relative humidity

the hydrogen bonding in water creates ___, a cohesive force that enables one to slightly overfill a glass with water or allows denser objects, such as a needle, to float on water

surface tension

nimbo- and -nimbus mean

that the clouds are producing precipitation

3 stages of thunderstorm development

mature, dissipating, cumulus

the amount of heat energy required of raise the temp of 1g of water by 1°C

calorie

true or false - during the adiabatic process, the warming and cooling of air parcels is caused by heat exchange between air parcels and the surrounding environment

false

rain shadow

dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges

pressure systems that reside within the source region for mP air masses

Aleutian low and Icelandic low

transpiration

the movement of water within a plant and into the atmosphere from plants

water covers ___ percent of earth

71

oceans are the largest reservoir, the majority of remaining water is tied up in ___

ice sheets

how much of all water consists of freshwater?

2.78%

surface water percentages

ice and glaciers: 99.3%

freshwater lakes: 0.33%

atmosphere: 0.03%

rivers and streams: 0.003%

cohesion

molecules attach to other molecules of the same kind, leads to surface tension

adhesion

molecules attracted to molecules of other substances - leads to capillary action

capillary action

upward movement against gravity (straws)

condensation

gas to liquid

vaporization

liquid to gas

deposition

gas to solid

the H2O molecule is

polar

water molecules stick to each other due to their

polarity

capillary action is responsible for

pulling of water molecules on each other

solid phase (ice)

water is most dense at 4°C, below this temp hydrogen bonds form, creating a crystal structure that is less dense than liquid water, 9% increase in volume

liquid phase (water)

assumes the shape of its container, some hydrogen bonding between molecules

gas phase (water vapor)

invisible/compressible gas, each molecule is completely separate

latent heat

the energy associated with phase changes

energy is absorbed during

melting, evaporation, and sublimation

energy is released during

freezing, condensation, and deposition

facts about calories

+ means absorbed by the compound

- means released from the compound

latent heat of vaporization

+540 cal

latent heat of condensation

-540 cal

latent heat of melting

+80 cal

latent heat of freezing

-80 cal

latent heat of sublimation

+680 cal

latent heat of deposition

-680 cal

to raise the temp of 1g of water from 0 degrees to boiling at 100 degrees, we must add ____. no phase changes occur at this point

100 calories

going through all 3 states would take a total of ___ calories either absorbed or released

720

sublimation and deposition only require ___ calories to be absorbed or released

680

humidity

a measure of the water vapor content of air. main way to characterize atmospheric moisture. varies with season, time, and location.

humidity is determined by

the air temperature and water vapor content

warmer air can hold

more moisture

relative humidity formula

actual water vapor in air / max water vapor possible in air at that temp x 100

saturation

the maximum amount of water vapor a parcel of air can hold. when the air is saturated, RH is at 100%

more water vapor added or decrease in temp will cause

condensation

relative humidity - cooler air

lesser maximum water vapor possible

relative humidity - warmer air

greater maximum water vapor possible

dew point temperature

the temp at which the air mass reaches saturation, and condensation begins to form water droplets

dew

forms when water vapor condenses on a cold surface on calm, clear nights. not a form of precipitation

frost

occurs when cooling at constant pressure produces saturation at an air temp below freezing. water vapor deposits on cold surface

when you see clouds or fog, you see air that has reached the

dew point temperature

relative humidity daily patterns

at temp rises through the day, RH falls. RH is highest at dawn, lowest in late afternoon

relative humidity seasonal patterns

RH is lower in summer, higher in winter. more insolation in summer than winter.

vapor pressure

air pressure made by water vapor molecules at a given temp

saturation vapor pressure

when the air contains as much water vapor as possible

vapor pressure increases with

increased concentration of water vapor molecules

specific humidity

the mass of water vapor in grams per mass of air in kg at any specified temp. changes only in amounts of water vapor changes.

as temps increase, SVP

increases

sling psychrometer

TD = dry bulb temp

TW = wet bulb temp

relative humidity depends on TD and TW

atmospheric stability

the tendency of a parcel of air to stay in place, rise, or sink

stable conditions

air parcel does not want to move upwards. tends to return to its starting place.

conditionally unstable

if air parcel is less than saturated, it will resist movement unless forced. stable at lower elevations, but if it reaches saturation, it becomes unstable

unstable conditions

air parcel temp is higher than that of surrounding environment. parcel will rise until it reaches air with similar density

adiabatic

the warming and cooling rates for a parcel of expanding or compressing air. caused by changes in pressure, not energy

relative humidity

ratio of the amount of water vapor actually in the air compared to the max water vapor the air at the temp can hold

adiabatic processes - 2 major rules

1. rising air parcels expand and cool as they move up

2. sinking air parcels are compressed and warmed as they move lower

normal lapse rate

decrease in temp with increase in altitude at average of 64C/1000m

dry adiabatic rate

rate at which dry air cools by expansion (if ascending) or heats by compression (if descending). dry air = RH is less than 100% saturation. DAR = 10c/1000m

moist adiabatic rate

the rate at which an air parcel at saturation changes in temp as it moves up or down in atmosphere. MAR = 6c/1000m

lifting condensation level (LCL)

air moving up in atmosphere will cool at the DAR until it reaches saturation. at dew point temp, it reaches saturation. leading to condensation and clouds. this altitude is called the LCL

___ and ___ are key to cloud classification

altitude, shape

3 basic forms of clouds

1. flat - stratiform

2. puffy - cumuliform

3. wispy - cirroform

4 altitude classes of clouds

1. low (0-2000m)

2. middle (2000-6000m)

3. high (6000-13000m)

4. vertically developed (13000m and above)

cloud prefix meanings

stratus - layered

cumulus - heaps

nimbo - storm or rain

alto - high

cirrus - curl of hair, feathery

stratus cloud

low blanket, large-scale lifting

nimbostratus

nimbus = rain, continuous cloud cover and rain, usually a passing warm front

stratocumulus

blanket of cumulus cover

altocumulus

sheet of small cotton balls, some instability and convection

altostratus

mid-level blanket, smooth texture, large scale lifting

cirrus

feathery, ice crystals, first sign of weather change

cirrocumulus

cotton balls, ice and cold water, some convection

cirrostratus

blanket of ice, halo, one day pre-front, lots of moisture aloft

cumulus

larger cotton balls

cumulonimbus

thunder, intense vertical development, signify instability, classic anvil shape

fog

ground level cloud that cuts visibility to <1km. forms above freezing temps.

advection fog

unsaturated air migrates to new places and reaches saturation. when warm moist air moves over cooler body of water.

evaporation fog

cold air lies over warmer body water, evaporation from water easily saturates the air

upslope fog

air cools as it moves upslope, common in winter and spring

valley fog

cold air drainage leads to chilled saturated air in valley

earth’s water distribution

ocean 97.22%

fresh 2.78%

surface 77.78%